Packaging for a planar data medium

ABSTRACT

A packaging for a planar data medium ( 2 ) is described, comprising a base plate ( 1 ) having a receiving recess ( 3 ) for the data medium ( 2 ) and two cover foils ( 4, 5 ) covering the receiving recess ( 3 ) on both sides of the base plate ( 1 ), of which one forms a defined severing line ( 6 ) which connects the two ends ( 7 ) of a removal opening ( 8 ) resulting from tearing open the defined severing line ( 6 ) and delimits a hinged cover ( 10 ) which can be bent up about a base determined by the two ends ( 7 ) of the removal opening ( 8 ), with the removal opening ( 8 ) extending over a length corresponding to the clearance of the receiving recess ( 3 ) as measured in the direction of said boundary area ( 9 ). In order to prevent the defined severing line ( 6 ) from being torn open inadvertently it is proposed that the removal opening ( 8 ) is provided in a boundary region ( 9 ) of the receiving recess ( 3 ) and that the defined severing line ( 6 ) extends into the region of the receiving recess ( 3 ) starting from the two ends ( 7 ) of the removal opening ( 8 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a packaging for a planar data medium, comprising a base plate having a receiving recess for the data medium and two cover foils covering the receiving recess on both sides of the base plate, of which one forms a defined severing line which connects the two ends of a removal opening resulting from tearing the defined severing line and delimits a hinged cover which can be bent up about a base determined by the two ends of the removal opening, with the removal opening extending over a length corresponding to the clearance of the receiving recess as measured in the direction of said boundary area.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In order to mail planar electronic data media, especially disk-like data media, it is known to provide packaging in the form of postcards which consist of a rectangular base plate with a receiving recess adjusted to the contour of the data medium and of two cover foils covering said receiving recess on both sides. Since the thickness of the base plate is adjusted to that of the data medium, the packaging has a thickness that hardly exceeds the thickness of the data medium. For removing the data medium, a removal opening must be provided which extends in a boundary region of the receiving recess, which has a length corresponding to the clearance of the receiving recess. When this removal opening is formed by a slit in one of the cover foils (DE 20108193 U1), then this leads to the disadvantage that the data medium can be removed in an unauthorized way. For this reason it is advantageous, in order to remove the data medium, to provide a defined severing line which is obtained only after tearing open the removal opening. The defined severing lines extending substantially along a boundary region of the receiving recess come with the disadvantage however that in the case of a bending load on the packaging there is a likelihood that the defined severing line is opened inadvertently at least in sections. Comparable difficulties are the case in other known packagings (FR 2 868 398 A1, GB 2 311 489 A) in which one of the cover foils for the base plate receiving the data medium forms a defined severing line which delimits a hinged cover which can be bent up about a base determined by the two ends of the removal opening because the defined severing line extends in the region of an edge of the data medium or the receiving recess of the data medium, so that in the case of a bending load on the packaging it is subjected especially in the region of the defined severing line to a tensile load transversally to the defined severing line which supports tearing open the defined severing line. Since such bending loads on the packaging are unavoidable during conveyance between conveying rollers as are used in automatic mail sorting systems, such known packaging does not meet postal requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is thus based on the object of arranging a packaging of the kind mentioned above for a planar data medium in such a way that the likelihood of inadvertent opening of the defined severing line as a result of a bending load can be excluded.

This object is achieved by the invention in such a way that the removal opening is provided in a boundary region of the receiving recess and that the defined severing line extends into the region of the receiving recess starting from the two ends of the removal opening.

As a result of these measured, a substantial part of the defined severing line extends in the area of the data medium received by the base plate which absorbs a portion of the bending load and represents a stiffening of the packaging especially in the area of the course of the defined severing line, so that the bending loads acting upon the covering foil with the defined severing line are limited to an amount which excludes the defined severing line from being torn open. A simple removal of the data medium from the packaging is nevertheless ensured because the defined severing line delimits a hinged cover which, once the defined severing line has been torn open, can be bent up about a base defined by the ends of the removal opening, so that after bending up the hinged cover the data medium can now be removed via the now opened removal opening of the packaging transversally to the boundary region of the receiving recess associated with the removal opening. The data medium can obviously also be stored in the opened packaging. After the insertion of the data medium in the receiving recess it is obviously possible to close the hinged cover again.

Especially advantageous constructional conditions are obtained when the defined severing line has a progression which is symmetrical with respect to a central normal line on the area of the receiving recess with the removal opening, because in this case the branches of the defined severing line which are symmetrical with respect to each other are supported in a corresponding manner by the data medium and consequently both branches are protected in the same manner from inadvertent opening. This requirement is met especially by a hinged cover with a triangular basic form which in addition ensures simple handling. The corner region of the hinged cover which is obtained as a result of the triangular shape allows a simple attack of the hinged cover in the middle in order to tear open the severing line starting from said corner region towards the two ends.

When the hinged cover extends up to the central area of the receiving recess, the defined severing line can be supported via the data medium in an advantageous manner without impairing the support in the opened packaging.

In order to increase security against inadvertently tearing open the defined severing line, the base plate may comprise sections which reduce the bending stiffness of the base plate on at least one side of the receiving recess. As a result of reduced bending stiffness of the base plate as a result of these sections, it is not possible to transmit higher tensions from the base plate to the foil section with the defined severing line, so that forces caused by this transversally to the defined severing line are avoided. These base plate sections which reduce the bending stiffness can be ensured by choosing different materials in various sections. Especially simple constructional conditions are obtained when said flexible sections are achieved by recesses in the base plate. It is in no way mandatory to arrange these recesses as breakthroughs in the base plate. In the case of a layered arrangement of the base plate it would be possible to omit at least one layer in the area of the recesses for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The subject matter of the invention is now explained in closer detail by way of examples, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a packaging in accordance with the invention for a planar data medium in a partly sectional top view;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 shows a view according to FIG. 1 of an embodiment of the packaging in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The packaging according to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a rectangular base plate 1 which forms a receiving recess 3 adjusted to the shape of a disk-like data medium 2. Cover foils 4, 5 are mounted on the top and bottom side of said base plate 1 which cover the receiving recess 3 on both sides and thus enclose the data medium 2 in the receiving recess 3. The cover foil 5 is provided with a defined severing line 6 which joins the ends 7 of a removal opening 8. Said removal opening 8 extends along a boundary area of the receiving recess 3 over a long corresponding to the clearance of the receiving recess 3, as is shown in FIG. 1. The defined severing line 6 itself projects into the central area of the receiving recess 3 and delimits a hinged cover 10 which can be bent up about a base determined by the two ends 7 of the removal opening 8 for releasing the removal opening 8, as is indicated in FIG. 2 in a dot-dash line. According to the embodiment, the hinged cover 10 has a basic shape which is determined by an isosceles triangle. The defined severing line, which is preferably formed by a perforation, is severed by an incision 11 in the connecting area between the two branches starting out from ends 7, thus leading to a tear tab 12 for better handling.

Since a relevant part of the defined severing line extends in the area of the data medium 2, the data medium 2 represents a stiffening for the packaging in the area of the defined severing line 6, so that the bending load of the cover foil 5 is limited in the area of the defined severing line 6 when the packaging is conveyed between conveying rollers for example. This means that there is little likelihood that the defined severing line 6 will be torn open inadvertently. For removing the data medium 2 from the closed packaging, the hinged cover 10 is grabbed first at the tear tab 12 in order to tear open the defined severing line 6 starting from the tear tab 12 to the ends 7 of the removal opening 8 by lifting the tear tab 12 and to bend up the hinged cover 10 until the release of the removal opening 8 about an axis joining the two ends 7. The data medium 2 can thus be removed from the receiving recess 3 of the packaging in the direction of the withdrawal opening 8 after the opening of the hinged cover 10. For storing the data medium 2, it can be inserted in the receiving recess 3 again and the hinged cover 10 can be closed again.

In contrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the base plate 1 of the packaging according to FIG. 3 is extended on either side of the receiving recess 3, thus increasing the likelihood of transmitting tensile forces on the cover foil 5 in the area of the defined severing line 5 as a result of bending loads of the base plate 1 and thus the likelihood of the defined severing line 6 being torn open inadvertently. In order to counteract this likelihood, the base plate 1 comprises sections 13 with a lower bending stiffness adjacent to the receiving recess 3 for data medium 2. These sections 13 could be realized by a base plate material which is more flexible. Simpler constructional conditions are obtained however generally in such a way that the more flexible sections 13 have recesses 14 of the base plate 1, as shown in FIG. 3. The sections 13 which reduce the bending stiffness of the base plate 1 adjacent to the receiving recess 3 prevent the transmission of bending stresses onto the base plate area with the receiving recess 3, so that no forces which cause the defined severing line 6 from being torn open are transmitted from the base plate 1 onto the cover foil 5 with the defined severing line 6. 

1. A packaging for a planar data medium (2), comprising a base plate (1) having a receiving recess (3) for the data medium (2) and two cover foils (4, 5) covering the receiving recess (3) on both sides of the base plate (1), of which one forms a defined severing line (6) which connects the two ends (7) of a removal opening (8) resulting from tearing open the defined severing line (6) and delimits a hinged cover (10) which can be bent up about a base determined by the two ends (7) of the removal opening (8), with the removal opening (8) extending over a length corresponding to the clearance of the receiving recess (3) as measured in the direction of said boundary area (9), wherein the removal opening (8) is provided in a boundary region (9) of the receiving recess (3) and wherein the defined severing line (6) extends into the region of the receiving recess (3) starting from the two ends (7) of the removal opening (8).
 2. A packaging according to claim 1, wherein the defined severing line (6) has a progression which is symmetrical with respect to a central normal line to the boundary area (9) of the receiving recess (3) with the removal opening (8).
 3. A packaging according to claim 1, wherein the hinged cover (10) has a triangular shape.
 4. A packaging according to claim 1, wherein the hinged cover (10) extends up to the central area of the receiving recess (3).
 5. A packaging according to claim 1, wherein the base plate (1) comprises sections (13) reducing the bending stiffness of the base plate (1) at least on one side of the receiving recess (3).
 6. A packaging according to claim 5, wherein the sections (13) which reduce the bending stiffness of the base plate (1) comprise recesses (14) of the base plate (1). 